Updated for DSM-IV, the "Structured Interview for DSM-IV Personality (SIDP-IV)" is a semi-structured interview that uses non-perjorative questions to examine behaviours and personality traits from the patient's perspective. The SIDP-IV is organized by topic sections rather than disorder to allow for a more natural conversational flow, a method that gleans useful information from related interview questions and produces a more accurate diagnosis. Designed as a follow-up to a general psychiatric interview and chart review that assesses episodic psychiatric disorders, the SIDP-IV helps the interviewer to more easily distinguish lifelong behaviour from temporary states that result from an episodic psychiatric disorder. During the session, the interviewer can also refer to the specific DSM-IV criterion associated with that question set. In the event that the clinician decides to interview a third-party informant such as family members or close friends, a consent form is provided at the end of the interview.
